The puppies are now up for adoption!
Check it out on http://www.pettalesrescue.org/. :)
Monday, February 28, 2011
Sunday, February 27, 2011
The "Friends" Litter
Meet the Friends Litter!
We have 3 boys and 3 girls!
Here they are:
Chandler - He is the quiet shy one of the bunch but is SUCH a sweet heart.
Monica - She is a cuddler and a total sweetheart.
Phoebe - She is the rambunctious adventurer. She wants to explore everything but once she gets tired, she is quite the cuddler.
Rachel - She is a very easy going dog. She loves to play and cuddle.
Ross - He loves people and loves to cuddle, kiss and play with them.
Joey - He has a fun-loving personality and is very sweet.
THAT'S Better!
Short post this time. Just figured I'd update people on what's going on. Ashley and I worked out a much better system for the puppies. Several things have changed, so it's a lot easier, and this morning went SO smoothly that I'm afraid it's a fluke and I'm getting my hopes up too high! heh.
Problem 1 (gaps in the deck steps) is solved! Jared came over last night and the two of us closed up the gaps by taking some scrap wood and nailing it to the back, so they can't fit through the gaps. It looks terrible, but we plan on rebuilding the deck this coming spring, so it's a fine solution at the time.
Problem 2 (Jungle Gym bush of death fall) isn't exactly solved, but it's certainly progressing okay, as I've knocked a lot of the snow off the bush so the puppies think it's actually a bush and not a fun sledding hill.
Lastly, Ashley thought of an amazing thing to help us out! The biggest problem was having to transport all six puppies outside, especially when we're alone. Ashley came up with the idea to put them all in one of the laundry baskets, then I can easily carry them outside! I love it! Stress free!
Okay, I guess that wasn't TOO short of a post, but hey, I'm only human and I like to type, haha! Anyways, I'll have to get on Ashley to actually make one of her awesome picture posts so she can introduce all of you to the puppies!
Saturday, February 26, 2011
Wow!
Well then, after the first night and morning all I can say is wow! This is gonna be an adjustment. The dogs arrived last night around 10:30pm and we took them directly to the bathroom to bathe them (we were warned that they were very dirty and smelly). In retrospect, it would have been smarter to let them outside first, because minutes into the first puppy bathing there was poop and pee all over the place! Heh, yeah. I definitely should have thought that one out more.
After the baths we'd brought them up to their new pen and that went well! They sniffed around, ate some food, drank some water (more like spilled it everywhere, lol), and played with each other. One of the puppies was shaking like crazy so I held him for a while to calm him down. The rest of the night went well and Ashley and I went to bed. The dogs whined for a few minutes but then fell asleep and were great the rest of the night.
Then the morning came. I woke to the sound of them wrestling with each other. It was early (6am) but I expected as much so I wasn't bothered. Not until I got up to look at their pen. There was poop everywhere, and they had peed on everything, including their sleeping blanket. Again, that's to be somewhat expected (but I'm hoping the poop won't happen as much if we don't feed them before bed, heh). I took them all outside so they could run around and poop or pee, and more chaos ensued! There are two problems in my back yard I will have to figure out for these puppies.
Problem 1: the steps off the deck have slits big enough for the puppies to fall through, which nearly happened several times. This is not good!
Problem 2: next to those stairs is a bush, normally harmless but with the snow has become a jungle gym with a 6 foot drop if the puppies fall through it.
Both of these problems, coupled with the fact that there are six puppies made it a very stressful outing. After we were done inside I took the dogs inside and stuck them in a room downstairs so I could clean up the pen. Once that was done they went back in, I played with some of them, and so far so good. I'm just worried about the back yard problems. Im not sure what to do about it.
After the baths we'd brought them up to their new pen and that went well! They sniffed around, ate some food, drank some water (more like spilled it everywhere, lol), and played with each other. One of the puppies was shaking like crazy so I held him for a while to calm him down. The rest of the night went well and Ashley and I went to bed. The dogs whined for a few minutes but then fell asleep and were great the rest of the night.
Then the morning came. I woke to the sound of them wrestling with each other. It was early (6am) but I expected as much so I wasn't bothered. Not until I got up to look at their pen. There was poop everywhere, and they had peed on everything, including their sleeping blanket. Again, that's to be somewhat expected (but I'm hoping the poop won't happen as much if we don't feed them before bed, heh). I took them all outside so they could run around and poop or pee, and more chaos ensued! There are two problems in my back yard I will have to figure out for these puppies.
Problem 1: the steps off the deck have slits big enough for the puppies to fall through, which nearly happened several times. This is not good!
Problem 2: next to those stairs is a bush, normally harmless but with the snow has become a jungle gym with a 6 foot drop if the puppies fall through it.
Both of these problems, coupled with the fact that there are six puppies made it a very stressful outing. After we were done inside I took the dogs inside and stuck them in a room downstairs so I could clean up the pen. Once that was done they went back in, I played with some of them, and so far so good. I'm just worried about the back yard problems. Im not sure what to do about it.
I'm sitting here, cuddling with one of the pups, so life is just fine! This is DEFINITELY gonna be an adjustment, though.
Sorry about no pictures, folks. That's more Ashley's thing, but I'll learn to do it, and make these more pretty from now on.
Also, I'm going to leave it to Ashley to tell you all the names and genders of the puppies. I can tell you this much, at least. Not ONE person got all 6 guesses right, haha!
Friday, February 25, 2011
Wow, the puppies will be here in 23 to 53 minutes.. I am super nervous and excited.. We have everything all set up. The plan is to bathe them as soon as they get here because I guess they are really dirty....
Here I am in the kennel that we set up:
Here I am in the kennel that we set up:
I also wanted to take a minute to thank everyone who has been SO helpful and supportive as we get ready for this big adventure!
My Dad - Got us a huge piece of rubber to go on the bottom of the kennel! It is SO much nicer than just using a tarp. Dad, you rock! Thanks for helping us out!!!
Kim - Bringing me lots of newspaper!! Also, thank you for listening to me blab on and on about the puppies!! :)
Emily and Jared - Already offering to come play with the dogs (all the time!!) ;)
Shawn and Andi - gave us a pet gate! This will be so useful to help us keep our dogs away from the puppies when needed!
Everyone else - Thank you for the support and offering to come play with the pups!! You are all welcome to come over, just let us know when.
If anyone else would help us as we foster these puppies, we would love some more newspaper and paper towel! :)
Ok, 17 to 37 minutes and counting.. AHH! :)
Guess the Gender Game!
We are getting the puppies tonight around 10 pm!! We have all the supplies and are ready to go.
I wanted to put a game out there if anyone wants to play!
Guess the Gender!
Just copy and fill out the below as a comment:
I wanted to put a game out there if anyone wants to play!
Guess the Gender!
Brown:
Black and Tan:
Light Tan:
Dark Tan:
Thick Brown and White:
Thin Brown and White:
Let's see if anyone can get all 6 right! :)
Wednesday, February 23, 2011
Our First Foster Puppies!
We are excited (and slightly nervous) to announce that we are going to become foster puppy parents on Friday!!! To not 1, not 2, but SIX puppies. Here they are:
The rescue thinks the puppies are lab and springer mix. They are 6 weeks old.
Now, I am sure you are all wondering how we got into this... and here is the story:
Last weekend we went to Detroit to visit some friends. On Saturday we visited a Pet Supplies Plus where they were doing a Adopt-A-Pet day. They had tons of dogs big and small. We fell in love with them all! However, we have already decided not to get a 3rd dog, mainly not to burden our family and friends who already babysit our current pups. So, I had the idea to foster dogs. We both love dogs so much I can't believe I hadn't thought of this before! So, the minute we got back from the pet store, we started looking for rescues in Grand Rapids. We came across a few and applied for fostering online. One lady from PetTales Rescue emailed back that night! She asked if we would be willing to foster a nursing mom and pups. After we discussed it, we thought that would be too much to handle for our first time but said we could handle puppies. She called Adam on Sunday and said she may already have some for us! She asked how many we would be willing to foster... that a litter can be up to NINE pups... I said wow... I think six or less would be a good number to start.. and what did we get... SIX! Ahh!!! We talked to her again Monday and got more details as well as the pictures. We will be getting the food and pen from her most likely Thursday night. The puppies will be here between 9 and 10 pm on Friday!
Now for the story about these sweet puppies! They are from a pound in a rural area near Toledo. Breeders in the area get so many puppies that if they don't sell them, they just throw them over a fence. So, they all end up in the pound and it is VERY overcrowded.
We cannot wait to meet these little ones!!! We will be posting more pictures and such about the puppies once we get them!
For more information about PetTales Rescue, check out their website - http://www.pettalesrescue.org/
One more thing: If anyone has a spare tarp, baby gate, or dog pen we could have, we would be greatly appreciative! Please let us know. Thank you!
The rescue thinks the puppies are lab and springer mix. They are 6 weeks old.
Now, I am sure you are all wondering how we got into this... and here is the story:
Last weekend we went to Detroit to visit some friends. On Saturday we visited a Pet Supplies Plus where they were doing a Adopt-A-Pet day. They had tons of dogs big and small. We fell in love with them all! However, we have already decided not to get a 3rd dog, mainly not to burden our family and friends who already babysit our current pups. So, I had the idea to foster dogs. We both love dogs so much I can't believe I hadn't thought of this before! So, the minute we got back from the pet store, we started looking for rescues in Grand Rapids. We came across a few and applied for fostering online. One lady from PetTales Rescue emailed back that night! She asked if we would be willing to foster a nursing mom and pups. After we discussed it, we thought that would be too much to handle for our first time but said we could handle puppies. She called Adam on Sunday and said she may already have some for us! She asked how many we would be willing to foster... that a litter can be up to NINE pups... I said wow... I think six or less would be a good number to start.. and what did we get... SIX! Ahh!!! We talked to her again Monday and got more details as well as the pictures. We will be getting the food and pen from her most likely Thursday night. The puppies will be here between 9 and 10 pm on Friday!
Now for the story about these sweet puppies! They are from a pound in a rural area near Toledo. Breeders in the area get so many puppies that if they don't sell them, they just throw them over a fence. So, they all end up in the pound and it is VERY overcrowded.
We cannot wait to meet these little ones!!! We will be posting more pictures and such about the puppies once we get them!
For more information about PetTales Rescue, check out their website - http://www.pettalesrescue.org/
One more thing: If anyone has a spare tarp, baby gate, or dog pen we could have, we would be greatly appreciative! Please let us know. Thank you!
Tuesday, February 22, 2011
Our Puppies
I thought it would only make sense to have one of the first posts be about our own dogs. We love both of our dogs to death!! They are amazing, sweet dogs and bring so much love to our lives.
This is Zoey, our Miniature Schnauzer. We adopted her as a puppy about a year before we got married. She has quite the personality! She is smart and stubborn, yet so lovable. (Just like her Mom!)
This is Zachery, our Yorkie. He is such a sweetheart! He loves the cuddle and he has two favorite spots - on the couch back like a cat and completely under the covers in our bed. He is such a goof ball!
We adopted Zach shortly after we were married. At the time, Zoey was having separation anxiety being in our small apartment when we worked. So, we thought about getting another dog. We looked around on petfinder and craigslist but nothing felt right. Finally, I prayed about it and told God if it is the right time to get a second dog he will let us know. I had a feeling it would be a dog in need. Not even a week later, my best friend Emily told me about a friend of hers who wanted to get rid of their dog because they were having a 2nd child and didn't have time for the dog. Once Zach and Zoey warmed up to each other, they had a blast together! They have been best friends ever since!
Photos Courtesy of EverPhoto (http://everphoto.net)
Monday, February 21, 2011
10 reasons you should consider taking a foster into your home.
10 reasons you should consider taking a foster into your home.
1. Comfortable environment Some dogs don’t do well in a shelter environment. They may be elderly or frightened of the smells and sounds. These dogs have a much greater chance of being adopted if they’re placed in a home environment and are given some TLC.
2. Free veterinary care If a foster dog needs veterinary care, it is the responsibility of the shelter-rescue to provide it. Some shelters-rescue even provide food and other supplies to their foster homes.
3.Companionship Fostering a dog can be a rewarding experience for anyone of any age! As long as you are allowed to have pets in your home you can enjoy the companionship of a dog needing a temporary home.
4. Help With adoptive match-making You’ll learn the little details about the dog’s personality. This is an incredible gift to individuals looking to adopt a dog. You’ll be able to inform them of all the strong points as well as areas that need to be focused on if they are considering your foster.
5. Playmate for your other dogs If you already have a dog, fostering can provide your pooch with a companion and playmate.
6.Great experience for children Fostering teaches children about compassion and generosity.
7.Allow shelters-rescues to help one more dog You are making room for another dog at the shelter. One more open run or kennel means one less dog put to sleep. Fostering means that you save a life.
8.Learning opportunity You’ll be able to learn about canine behavior, grooming and social interactions as you spend time with your foster dog.
9.Participate In Positive Changes Having a foster dog allows you to actively participate in the rehabilitation of a traumatized or needy dog. Witnessing the progress your foster makes due to the attention and security given in your home is priceless.
10.Satisfying experience Most of all, fostering is incredibly satisfying. The day your foster dog finds his perfect forever home might be a sad one for you, but know that he wouldn’t be where he is without all of your efforts and affection!
World English Dictionary
foster (ˈfɒstə)
— vb
1. to promote the growth or development of
2. to bring up (a child, etc); rear
3. to cherish (a plan, hope, etc) in one’s mind
4. chiefly ( Brit )
a. to place (a child) in the care of foster parents
b. to bring up under fosterage
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